For 2nd time in 2 days, customer holds suspected bank robber at gunpoint

Both incidents happened in Brevard County.

April 30, 2010|By Susan Jacobson, Orlando Sentinel

For the second time in two days in Brevard County, a customer has captured a bank robber at gunpoint.

Today's incident happened about 4 p.m. at Riverside Bank, 201 Cheney Highway in Titusville. A man armed with a knife demanded money from a teller, police said. Afterward, he ran down a trail in thick woods behind the bank.

A customer in the bank, who has a concealed-weapons permit, followed the robber, struggled with him and held him on the ground until officers arrived, they said. The stolen money was recovered.

No customers were hurt.

Police identified the robber as Michael Lee Peterson, 55, of Titusville, who is being booked into the Brevard County Jail.

On Thursday, a customer at Space Coast Credit Union in Palm Bay held a suspected bank robber at gunpoint until police arrived. Floyd Francis was arrested after he handed a teller a plastic Walmart shopping bag and passed a note with his name on it directing her to "put di money innah di Bag."